Not His Type
by MrsWhovian
Summary: Lily and Iain should not be friends. On paper, it did not make sense.


**A/N: This takes place before Reap the Whirlwind, so the car accident hasn't happened.**

* * *

"I just don't get it."

Doctor Amelia James scratched her head. It just didn't make sense to her why a charismatic, light-hearted paramedic like Iain Dean would be asking the, in her opinion, uptight Doctor Lily Chao out for drinks. He'd dropped by the nurses' station, like he often did whilst waiting for a call out, and had casually asked her if she fancied heading over to the pub after their shift. Lily had agreed, and he left with Jez, a smile on his face.

"Get what?" asked Lily. She wasn't a fan of Doctor James, who was in for the day as cover for Alicia, who had been called away for a 'family emergency'. Amelia had been trying to push Lily's buttons all morning, and she had, unknowingly, hit on the one subject that Lily, albeit subconsciously, was slightly insecure about.

"Well," Amelia replied, "You aren't exactly his type, are you?"

Lily blinked. "We're just friends."

"I know, but he's so light hearted, and happy, and, well, you're not."

Lily shrugged. "We get on well, that's all there is to it." Even as she said it though, she could hear the doubt creeping into her voice. Why did Iain seem to like her? She was so serious, and he… well, he gave her the nickname Chuckles, making a joke out of her serious nature. She thought it was an affectionate thing now, but what if he was still making fun of her? Was this all one big joke that he was having with Jez? What if there was some sort of bet about… well, something?

As if the locum Doctor was reading her mind, she joked, "Well, as long as he isn't stringing you along for a bet! It'll only end in tears!"

Lily took advantage of a lost visitor who came wandering through the doors to get away from the interrogation. She could hear Amelia asking Robyn and Ethan about the 'odd pairing', and she heard them trying to explain, but, ultimately, they didn't have an answer. The truth of the matter? Lily and Iain should not be friends. On paper, it did not make sense.

* * *

Lily thought about the conversation she'd had with Doctor James all afternoon, and the more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that Iain didn't really want to spend time with her. She didn't know if he was pitying her, or just having a joke at her expense. She hoped it wasn't that sinister; she didn't think that badly of him, but she was struggling to understand what other reason there could be.

* * *

As Lily's shift finished, she grabbed her coat and bag out of her locker, and quickly headed towards the exit. She had decided to try and make a quick getaway. Maybe she could pretend that she'd forgotten that they'd made plans. That idea, however, went out the window when she bumped into Iain right outside the entrance to A&E.

"Evening, Chuckles! You ready to go?"

Lily's eyes widened and she looked down at her feet as she quickly said, "Sorry, I can't anymore. Erm, Mrs Beauchamp wants me to do some paperwork for her."

Iain frowned, disappointed. "Oh, okay, do you have to do it tonight? I was looking forward to this."

Lily could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes. This was unfair. Why did he have to sound so sincere? Not trusting her voice to hold out for a full sentence, she simply nodded, whispering an apology.

As she tried to leave, a tear escaped from her eye and dropped on to her cheek. She surreptitiously wiped it away, but it was too late. Iain gently grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"Hey," he asked gently, "What's happened?"

"Nothing," she choked, "Please just leave me alone."

"No, I'm not going to leave you when you're upset. What sort of friend would I be? Please, Lily, talk to me."

Lily let out a sob, but shook her head, stepping back when Iain tried to pull her into a hug. Why was he being so nice?

As Iain, confused, tried to reach for her again, he heard a voice behind him, the owner of this voice not realising they were within earshot.

"I knew they couldn't really be friends. I told her it would all end in tears."

Iain spun round and spotted the locum, who had been in the ED all day, stood with Robyn, arms folded with a slightly smug smile. Robyn, to her credit, looked uncomfortable, but Iain didn't care. He watched them walk across the road to a pub, and then turned back to Lily, who had managed to regain a bit of composure.

"What did she say to you?"

Lily shook her head, not wanting to discuss it, but Iain just put an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, come with me."

* * *

Ten minutes later, and Lily and Iain were sat in a café, Iain sipping a cup of tea, whilst Lily had her hands wrapped around a hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles. Iain had insisted that it would make her feel better, as he brought it over to the private, corner booth. He had chosen it on purpose, as he hoped that if Lily felt like she was away from prying eyes, she might be more likely to open up.

"Come on Lils, talk to me. What did that Doctor James say to you?"

Lily, buying for time, took a sip of her drink, before taking a breath.

"She said you were only friends with me for a bet."

"And you believed her?"

Lily could feel the tears filling her eyes again at the hurt she heard in his voice, and this time let Iain reach out to comfort her, gripping his hand tightly in hers as she tried to explain.

"I didn't at first, but then she asked Ethan and Robyn, and they couldn't tell her why we were friends. She said I'm not your type, because you're happy and light-hearted, and I'm not. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that you are this lovely person, who lights up a room when he enters, whereas I just, I don't know, suck the life out of it, I suppose."

She tried to let out a chuckle as she ended the sentence, but it came out as a pathetic sounding whimper. Iain slid round, so he was sat next to Lily, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Dipping his head so that his mouth was level with her ear, he spoke softly, hoping he could reassure her.

"Now, you listen here, Lily Chao. We are friends because you are a lovely, kind hearted person who has stood by my side through both the good and bad times. You were there when I came down in a helicopter crash, and then helped me get better, both physically and mentally. You persevered and wouldn't leave me until I let you in. You treated my mother with compassion and respect, even though she spat in your face, and not only stood by me, but supported my sister as well, even though she kept calling you Tiger Lily, and has probably driven you up the wall more than once! You are light-hearted, you just don't feel comfortable letting everybody see it, and I feel honoured that you let me see that side of you. Never doubt my affection for you, Lily. We are friends because we look after each other, we appreciate each other, and most importantly, we like each other. You make me happy, and my day always improves when I see you. Okay?"

"Really?" she whispered.

Iain squeezed her shoulder in silent reassurance. "Really."

Lily nodded, suddenly feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry, I hate that I even entertained the thought that you might be having a joke at my expense."

"Well I'm sorry that I left any room for doubt."

"Are we okay?" Lily asked.

"Of course we are," Iain replied. He pulled her close, placing a kiss on top of her head as Lily wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his neck.

* * *

On paper, the friendship between Lily Chao and Iain Dean may not have made sense, but here, sat in a corner booth of a café, wrapped in a tight embrace, breaths in sync, it made all the sense in the world.

* * *

 **A/N: Not sure if I'm overly keen on the ending, but it's getting late, I have work tomorrow, and if I don't post this now, I'll probably end up forgetting about it!**


End file.
